Guilherme Paulus – The Man That Build Brazil’s Tourism

From a small travel agency founded in 1972 in São Paulo, CVC is today one of the biggest tourism networks in Brazil. The success of the venture is due to the deep experience and impressive business skills of Guilherme Paulus, who founded the company at the age of 24 and managed to turn it into an empire along the years, making it Latin America’s largest travel operator. View Guilherme Paulus profile at Forbes

Guilherme Paulus, born in 1949, founded CVC alongside Carlos Vicente Cerchiari, who later quit, leaving Paulus as the key figure responsible for the growth of the small company. His ability to innovate helped him build the a wide portfolio of products that are now available on the market, products that are more complex than the usual travel packages. In 2009, part of the company was sold to Carlyle Group, which helped CVC reach a new level business-wise. Going public and opening its capital on the stock exchange proved to be fruitful, as the company is constantly expanding and growing its annual revenue.

Despite its massive success, CVC is not the only business venture of Guilherme Paulus. In 2006 he bought the airline Webjet which he turned into the third biggest airline in Brazil, operating in over 20 cities throughout the country, before selling it to the company Gol. Paulus is also founder of GJP Hotels & Resorts, a network which he founded in 2005 and that is currently considered to be one of the largest hotel chains in Brazil. Despite it starting with only one establishment, the company now owns 14 hotels and resorts throughout the country, and has plans to include new units and continue expanding.

Due to his success in the tourism sector, Guilherme Paulus won many awards throughout the years, such as Entrepreneur of the Year or Personality of the Year, from different publications. He has a net worth of $1.1 billion, being currently listed on Forbes billionaires list. He has also been honored by international governments, in 2012 receiving an honor from the French Government, and received recognitions for his services to tourism from countries such as Mexico, Venezuela and the United States.